Edmonton mayor says mature neighbourhoods have plenty of space for density-increasing infill

“All of these neighbourhoods were designed to accommodate much greater populations than what they have now,” Sohi said. “So, infrastucture is there. Space is there, green spaces are there, great bus service is available. Fire service, police service, recreational facilities, all those things that people living in suburban communities desire to have are available in these communities. But we have less and less people using those amenities because less people are living in those communities. So I think it’s good for the sustainability of the city to encourage people to be living in those communities.”

Council continued to hear from members of the public over the proposed changes to the one-year-old blanket zoning bylaw. which were brought forward by the urban planning committee. They include reducing the cap on mid-block infill developments in mature neighbourhoods to six from eight, ensuring that front facades have at least 15 per cent of their areas covered by windows, and that developments are capped at 25 metres wide, or no more than half the length of lots that are less than 50 metres wide.